Wall cabinet for ironing machines



Oct. 16, 1928.

M.HEDGL0N WALL CABINET FOR IRONING MACHINES Filed April so, 1927- Patented Oct. 16, 1928.`

UNITED STATES MEAD HEDGLON, F SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

WALL. CABINET FOR IRONING MACHINES.

.Application filed April 30, 1927. Serial No. 188,015.

This invention relates to a cabinet, designed particularly for housing electrically driven ironing machines of the type employed in households, and has for its object to provide novel construction and arrangement of the cabinet, whereby the ironing machine may be permanently attached to and supported by the cabinet during the ironing, and also during the inactive periods, the cabinet preferably being permanently built in a convenient interior wall of a house and arranged toshield the machinefrom dirt and tampering. The cabinet is oblong and its long dimension is preferably `disposed vertically, a portion of one side of the cabinet being open and disposed flush with one face of the Wall, the said opening being closed, when the machine is stowed away, by the base or platform that supports the ironing and driving mechanisms, one end of the base extending through the said opening and being pivoted inside the cabinet, for enabling the machine to be swung towards and from said opening in a vertical plane, for withdrawing and for stowing the machine, the opposite end of the base being provided with a collapsible leg, which cooperates with the pivot means for supporting the machine in the operative position at the proper height from the floor, and the base and machine bein held in the closed position by gravity. ind a further object is to provide means for counterbalancing the weight of the machine and base when the latter are lowered to the horizontal. or ironing position, for preventing too rapid gravitation of the machine due to carelessness or accident, the said counterweight being disposed within the cabinet and including one member of the pivot means.

The various features and parts `of the in.

vention will be understood from the detailed description which follows, and by reference to the accompanyin drawing, in which- -v Figure 1 is a bro en top plan view of the base, showing the counterweight mounted thereon. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section and front side elevation of the extended ironing machine, the dotted lines showing the inoperative position of the machine. And Fig. 3 is a broken vertical section of a similar cabinet and a front elevation of the machine, showing modified means for operatively securing the ironing machine to the cabinet.

In the drawing, 2 represents an ordinary interior wall of a dwelling house, having an ing 'from the top to a point near the bottom,

the lower portion of said side being permanently closed by a member 3", Whose top edge is formed with an inwardly facing bevel, as 3.

The cabinet 3 is designed especially for housing domestic ironing machines, which are usually electrically driven and heated, and are ordinaril portable. The primary object of the ca inet is to provide a convenient out-of-the-way place for stowing the ironing machine when not in use, in order to protect it from dirt, injury and tampering, as well as to render the machine readily accessible when needed, without requiring it to be manually lifted and carried to and from the ironing location, the arrangement of the cabinet being such as to enable the ironing machine to be readily and quickly withdrawn or extended from the cabinet, and to 'be positively held at the proper level from the floor during the ironing periods. To this end, the machine is preferably permanently and swingably attached to the cabinet. A brief description of the ironing machine follows: 4: represents a plane wooden or other base, on which the combined ironing and'driving mechanisms are mounted and rendered movable as one part. The machine proper comprises the usual padded ironing roll, as 5, which is generally rotated by a motor, as 6, the said roll being mounted in a fixed plane parallel to the base, by means of an upright casing 7 that houses the reduction gears which are usually connected to the motor b a clutch 6, and a goose-neck bracket 8, bot of said parts being rigidly secured to the base 4. 9 represents the concave ironing shoe, which is y disposed below and concentric to the roll, and is usually heated by electricity or gas. The shoe 9 is moved towards and from the roll, by means of a lever 10 and an eccentric mechanism 10', said lever being disposed at the -front side of the machine, near one end of a' table 12 upon which the operator may spread the articles prior to feeding them between the roll and shoe. The ironing pressure is effected by springs 13, which are adjustably connected to the eccentric mechanism and are disposed near the opposite ends of the table 13, as shown. The ironed articles as they emerge from the rear side of the f' The end 4 of the base supports a counterweight 14, which is formed with a relatively broad web 14 that overlies the base and is rigidly secured thereto by fasteners 14, the said web being formed with bearing lugs 14", which journal on a rod 15 that passes horizontally through the cabinet, the ends thereof being supported by the opposite vertical walls 3-3. The rod 15 constitutes the axis around which the base 4 rotates when the latter is swung towards and from the opening 3*, and virtually supports the ironing machine and related parts when the latter are stowed away, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1. The weight 14 is preferably arranged to substantially counterbalance the machine and base and prevents the violent descent of saidl parts and lightens the work of the operator,

when they are lowered to the ironingwsition,

shown by the full lines in Fig. 1. en the machine is extended, the outerl or free end of base 4 is preferablyksupported by a leg 16 se-l cured to the base bvva hinge 16', by which the leg is rendered collapsible, as shown 1n Fig. 1. The leg 16 cooperates with the'rod 15 for holding the base 4 at the proper height from the floor during the ironing periods.

foldable brace 17 may be'employed for preventing accidental collapse of the leg 16 and the consequent gravitation of the machine from the ironing level. Whenthe machine is l disposed in the cabinet, it exerts sufficient gravitative force to positively hold the parts in the inoperative position. At such times the counterweght 14 is swung downwardly parallel to the inner face of the member 3b and cooperates with the machine and related parts for holding them in place, as shown.

In Fig. 3 is shown a similar cabinet 18, to the front open side of lwhich the ironingmachine base 4c is swingably secured by a hinge 19. The outer `end of the base 4x is similarly fitted with a collapsible leg 20, which is secured to the underside of the base by a hinge 21, the same as in Fig. 1. Otherwisethe operation of the parts is the same as hereinabove described.

The disposing of the linear dimension of the cabinets 3 and 18 vertically instead of horizontally enables the machine to be extended longitudinally away from the *wall, which greatly facilitates the operation of the machine, as well as the recovery of the ironed articles.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, is v An ironing machine cabinet including a vertically disposed box formed for securement to a wall or the like andhaving an open front, a vertical member extending upwardly from the bottom of the box at the front thereof and terminating a short distance above the box bottom, a base member formed to close said open front and adapted to have an ironing machine secured thereto, a counterweight havin a web projecting forwardly therefrom, earings on the web, means to secure the front end of the web to the rear end of the base member, and a rod journaled in the bearin s and having its ends supported by the sifIe walls of the box, said vertical member in horizontal position of the base member being dis osed intermediate the ends of the i latter w ereby the underface of the base member will seat on the upper end of the vertical member.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

MEAD HEDGLON. 

